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The Trump train… — 35 Comments

1. Frankly, trump and the GOP need to move very fast and broadly to make big changes while they can. The dems are in a bit of disarray, and the volume will force them to be rather narrowly focused, picking their battles.

   If trump and the GOP let anything linger too long it will get mired down in the distractive controversies that seems to haunt trump.

2. The Trump train is an appropriate metaphor if there ever was one. What exactly he’s going to accomplish is yet to be determined. He’s certainly creating optimism. Look at the Dow!

   I listened to an interesting interview with James Kunstler the other day. He is skeptical of Trump’s agenda, which is to be expected from someone with the opinion that our oil based economy is doomed. He predicts much higher oil prices because of ever increasing extraction costs with the ratio of 1 to 5 barrels of oil as already prohibitive in fracking and even higher in tar sands.

   As to your observation about Trump looking older, maybe because he’s no longer campaigning he’s laying off the makeup?

3. Plus, it’s an excellent way to demonstrate to the Democratic Party what a Pandora’s Box they decided to open (without believing that there would be any consequence, any “payback”….)

   So that maybe, just maybe, the Democrats will show a little contrition.

   And maybe, just maybe, everyone will come to their senses in a (hopefully) little while.

   (Though, while one might very much wish so, I wouldn’t count on it….)

4. I can understand how Trump can look tired based on the schedule that he is having. Preparations for meetings, having the meetings and then moving on to the next group has to be exhausting especially knowing that every word is being analyzed.

   As to the activity, you can access the White House website to read the actual EO/EMs – so far, they are on page 1 of activity.

   https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions

   The Obama website is archived. There are 212 pages over 8 years. I wasn’t going to scroll through all the pages to find out the activity at the beginning of the Obama years.

   https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions

5. BigMaq is correct- they need to move swiftly and forcefully for at least the next six to twelve months while the opposition is in complete disarray. For the moment, the Left and the Democrats are still fighting the last war that was lost in November, so Trump, Ryan, and McConnell have a window to act.

6. Reminds me of Thatcher when Labour did similar, of course the left doesnt learn

   a post by a friend (UK) indirectly related

   the [Author] is spot-on in fingering the unwillingness of Obama and his Democrats to compromise as the cause of Obama’s failure.

   In any Western democracy, there has to be a degree of bipartisan consensus for any reform to become entrenched. Otherwise it can be reversed by the next government of another stripe. It happened in Britain when it became clear to everyone but the British Labour Party that government ownership of industry was an abject failure. So Margaret Thatcher was elected and proceeded to uproot decades of British Leftist “work”. The same is now about to happen to reforms associated with Obama.

   Leftists tend to live in an eternal present, with no awareness of the past and a blissful lack of concern for the future consequences of their actions.

   The quite hilarious actions of Harry Reid and the Senate Democrats in abolishing the filibuster is a prime example of that.

   They didn’t foresee a future GOP administration and are now left with no weapon in the Senate to obstruct Trump.

   They ripped up an important constitutional safeguard in order to get their way on some relatively minor matters and now find that they have given Trump an easy glide through the Senate confirmation process.

   And that lack of vision was strikingly in evidence when Obama came to power.

   The Donks were like kids in a candy shop when they found themselves in complete control of both the Presidency and Congress.

   So they rushed to construct a huge piece of legislation that would fulfil all their addled dreams about healthcare and much else besides.

   Even many Democrat congressional interest groups could see problems with the legislation but Obama and the congressional Democrat leadership piled on the pressure to get the legislation through.

   But such were the problems with what became known as Obamacare that most of that “golden” first two years of Obama control were wasted, with little else of significance enacted.

   And given the problems with their own people, there was no way any GOP amendments would be considered.

   And none were.

   So the legislation passed with no hint of bi-partisanship.
   Which has now doomed it. There is no constituency in GOP circles in favour of it.

   Obamacare might have survived in some modified form if it had been constructed with a degree of GOP consent but it now looks like being completely uprooted.

   The Donks just did not look far enough ahead to envisage GOP dominance.

   And as the writer below correctly notes, that obstinacy on the part of the Donks generated an equivalent obstinacy in the GOP.

   They regained Congressional majorities after the first two years and thereafter blocked most initiatives from Obama and his Democrat flunkies. Legislatively, Obama was neutered. And he and the Donks brought it upon themselves.

   The major change in social policy during the Obama reign was the valorization of sexual abnormality — but that was a product of SCOTUS, not Obama.

   And so many judges on the court are elderly that it seems Trump will have the opportunity to make appointments that will swing the court far to the Right for a long time.

   So a more balanced approach to sexual abnormality could well emerge from that….

7. Actually, it reminds me of George S. Patton in WW II. I drew occasional parallels between Trump and Patton on this blog during the campaign. This move forward as quickly as possible, hit ’em hard, and let the following forces clean up the small messes left behind is a hallmark of Patton’s style and we are seeing it witht he flurry of current Trump activity. My understanding is (and I have no citation for this) that Trump was an admirer of Patton during his time at military school.

   In addition, I think that Trump viscerally, if not consciously, understands both the need and the efficacy of establishing his presidential character early on. Notice the difference between the rapidity of his domestic action distinct from a more considered approach to, say, moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem. By establishing his domestic “I told you I would do this” street cred it sets the stage for working in the more complex world of international politics.

   Finally, if you take Trump’s history with MSM and the internet at face value, he seems to be either praised or reviled with little middle ground much like Patton was; this was mostly true during the campaign and still seems to be the case. This blog, with normally considered opinions is, IMO, one of the few exceptions . . . which proves the rule.

8. It looks more like a steamroller than a train. In everything except speed.

9. Trump provided a list of all he planned to do in the first 100 days, so we can check off the items as he goes:

   https://assets.donaldjtrump.com/_landings/contract/O-TRU-102316-Contractv02.pdf

   I am surprised at his speed – he’s really starting his presidency off with a bang.

10. God speed, Mr. Trump.

11. He’s actually doing what he said.

    Astounding.

12. Does anyone know what particular arcane Senate rule permits the Dems to hold up Trump’s nominees? I thought that by lowering the consent requirement they basically eliminated any stall rights they have, correct?

13. The Other Chuck:

    It’s bags under his eyes I’m noticing. Not dark circles, either (he’s not much for melanin)—bags. They can’t be hidden by makeup.

14. The Dems rely on the “decorum’ of the Senate as witnessed by the Sen. Cotton vs Sen. Schumer incident on the CIA nominee. Cotton didn’t put up with it and was backed up by the chair.

    Sen. Murkowski appears to have been rolled by Sen. Wyden and others on Energy and Interior nominees. If the republican in charge of the committee is not up to the job, the Dems get away with their usual.

15. Yeah, he does look tired and to my eyes, grim.

    So far it’s all Executive orders, which while important are ultimately as potentially temporary as were Obama’s.

    I am not hopeful that Ryan and McConnell will work with him. If they don’t, it will stymie Trump, grind some of his reforms to a halt, while those that pass the GOPe’s approval will be neutered bills. Nothing will re-energize the democrats more than GOPe intransigence.

16. Following through on campaign promises is cause for optimism. Unpredictable outcomes are cause for cautious restraint. Bags under his eyes are evidence of a serious commitment.

    Many have tried, most have failed, hopefully Trump and his team have the wisdom, courage, and stamina to reconcile moral, natural, and personal imperatives.

17. There is a difference between Executive Order, Executive Memo and Executive Proclamation.

    I think we can all agree that the proclamation is the least controversial since it should be limited to ceremonial points.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presidential_proclamation

    The Executive Memo & the Executive Order are close but there are some differences. I’ll let y’all go to the sites to see the differences.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presidential_memorandum
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executive_order

    Yes, I know I am referring to Wiki which would be dinged at most universities since it is not a primary reference. The interesting point is that Wiki and a lot of news organizations are making all actions to be EO. But the WH website is listing only 2 EO and 8 EM. Obama also had fewer EO than EM, based on web pages. Please note that I am not sure how they are classifying the 1/25 actions.

    I noticed that some of these records do have an end date. Most of them limit the memo until something else happens such as a review of the current situation or until the Secretary is approved and can review the department’s activities. How business-like!

18. couple of folks who looked more closely at Trump’s actions have said he’s not doing new things, but overturning Obama’s work. IOW, back to the way it was supposed to be. No more telling agencies to not obey the law. Now they are to obey the law and enforce what they were supposed to enforce. I gather the EPA’s decision not to pay victims of the Animas spill has been overturned.

    It’s a start.

19. “He’s actually doing what he said.

    Astounding.” – Cornhead

    trump said many, many things, often conflicting.

    It is nice that he came out with a “contract” on Nov 4 though.

    But, like anything of this sort, the devil is in the details.

    So, we’ll have to see what these look like as an implemented set of policies.

    On the economic front, reduction of bureaucracy / regulation and simplification / reduction of taxes can go a long way, but will that be enough vs however far trump decides to go on restrictions on trade and how that will impact the economy (which could easily overwhelm any good from the rest)?

    Nobody knows, at this point.

20. We’ll see. So far so good.

21. I am pleased with the SCOTUS nominee finalists and watching that process closely. If Trump picks Gorsuch, who has a great record on various religious liberty issues, I will consider my hold-my-nose, last-minute decision to vote for Trump well worth it.

22. I also noticed that he didn’t make any remarks about “that’s it? Just like that I can change things?” that both Clinton and Obama did when they signed their first order.

    Clearly, Trump has signed things before and expected something/someone to follow up on it. Clinton and Obama? Just little kids they were who had no idea.

    And, I’m sure we won’t be hearing Trump complain about living in a secure bubble the way Clinton and Obama did in their first terms. Trump, no doubt from experience, knows what his life is going to be like living in a security bubble.

23. What I’ve been trying to say; “America’s Second Civil War”

    The inimitable Richard Fernandez evidently agrees: “Fear God and dreadnought”

24. GB,

    Wake me up when the lead traverses the air around your head. Witness they are utterly stupid,. If the left doesnot realize they can not win CW redux they will be fish in a barrel. The military, with exceptions, will not come to their rescue. Similarly,an imaginary race war would be a massacre. We got the guns, ammo, and skill, plus the Constitution. I am an old man, I can put a 8mm bullet in your forehead at 400 yards with open sights. There are millions who can out shoot me at 400. 600, or even1000 yards.

    If they want to tread on me, good f#$&ing luck unless you control and can tarrget armed drones with satellite uplinks. I am not fearful they have a single clue. Its ll buster and mutual self playing with genitls.

25. I’ve noticed, also, that Trump is looking more tired than usual. More bags under the eyes. Anyone else see that?
    * * *
    Hard work and late nights will do that, but so will this:
    http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/01/top-secret-government-documents-confidential-intelligence-214665

    “The president of the United States has more access to official secrets than any other human being in the country–and the potential to know more about the world than anyone else on the planet. And on January 20, the person being handed access to all of those secrets will be Donald J. Trump.

    While much attention has been focused on Trump’s access to the nuclear launch codes and the President’s Daily Brief–the classified intelligence report delivered inside a locked briefcase each morning to the Oval Office–those represent only a tiny sliver of the massive top-secret universe that Trump personally will suddenly be privy to….(nice long list of goodies)…

    The United States has invested trillions of dollars to ensure that its president can know more than anyone else on Earth–knowledge meant to be deployed to the country’s advantage in trade negotiations, military posturing and a thousand other ways big and small.”

    Of coarse, Politico can’t resist making digs at Trump, but the bulk of the article is sober and probably truthful.

    Unlike this one:
    http://www.politico.com/story/2017/01/torture-mattis-pompeo-defense-234180

    “Two of the officials who will be in charge of carrying out President Donald Trump’s terrorism detainee policies, Defense Secretary James Mattis and CIA Director Mike Pompeo, were “blindsided” by reports of a draft executive order that would require the CIA to reconsider using interrogation techniques that some consider torture, according to sources with knowledge of their thinking. [who is “they” here, btw?]

    Lawmakers in both parties denounced the draft order on Wednesday even as White House press secretary Sean Spicer said he had “no idea where it came from” and that it is “not a White House document.”

    It’s unclear who wrote the draft order or whether Trump will sign it, though members of Congress in both parties were taking that prospect seriously on Wednesday.”

    The article then continues breathlessly hyperventilating over the un-vetted proposal (maybe an old CIA exercise from the Bush era? or something from Obama’s black files? or just plain made up, in the vein of Rather’s memo?)
    We’re back at the Russia-gate level of fake news here.

26. Fernandez cites Preager, and the point is that ultra progressives are willing to die and kill others for LBGTQUERTY and climate change. Ok, from the voices of authority Geoffrey, Dennis, and Richard. Time to buy more ammo.

27. parker,

    It is not armed conflict that concerns but the determination of the Left to regain power. The democrats and mass media will do all they can to derail Trump’s Presidency in the mind of the public, just as they delegitimized Bush’s WoT. The LIVs will be their target, seeking to win back the Presidency. Obama demonstrated just what a lawless President can do when protected by Congressional ideologues. The Left is on the floor, it is a strategic mistake to let someone who wishes you grave ill… to get off the floor.

    OM,

    Refusing to recognize the actual point is at best, deflection. Since when is expressing a personal point of view evidence of claiming to be an authority? Please show where Fernandez, Praeger or myself have ever claimed to be “authority”?

    Ad hominem attacks reveal the perpetrator’s motivation to be dishonest.

28. Geoffrey:

    “Ad hominem attacks reveal the perpetrator’s motivation to be dishonest.”

    Same old deflection from Geoffrey: Geoffrey – I’ve been crying civil war and existential enemies (is it Islam or Mexicans or leftists, or ….) for ages and now Richard Fernandez and Dennis Praeger have used the meme. See, I am Cassandra.

    Well maybe not. When the police in Portland OR take down with force (looked like linebackers with long truncheons) protesters blocking city streets last week this is evidence that local authorities no longer fear the federal government taking the side of the lawbreakers (aka Justice Department and George Soros’s goons). So your “Civil War” trope has lost some of it’s fuel. When the Justice Department non longer sends Policy Memos clothed under Title 9 to universities some of the wind will fall from the SJWs sails. These effects are called “POLITICS” not civil war. Do you understand the difference between politics and war? much less between civil war and the other kind of warfare?

    So get serious.

29. OM,

    Do you agree that Islam fundamental tenets, the hard Left’s ideology and open borders are existential threats to America?

    Do you agree that we are in a cultural and political civil war with the Left?

    How much more serious questions can there be?

    How are those issues ‘deflection’? And from what?

30. How many existential threats can you juggle at one time?

    You love “civil war,” it means whatever you want. Possibly to push the solutions that are “required” to end it?

31. GB: I sometimes get the impression you are running a “Motte and Bailey” on us.

    So the motte-and-bailey doctrine is when you make a bold, controversial statement. Then when somebody challenges you, you claim you were just making an obvious, uncontroversial statement, so you are clearly right and they are silly for challenging you. Then when the argument is over you go back to making the bold, controversial statement.

    http://slatestarcodex.com/2014/11/03/all-in-all-another-brick-in-the-motte/

32. OM.

    I reload 8MM, 7.62×39, 357 Magnum, 38 Special, and 12 guage relentlessly. Plus I buy a lot of 22LR at every opportunity. Am I a bad person?

33. My friends and I have been talking about a “cold civil war” in America for ten years or more. However, I just doesn’t see how it goes hot any time soon.

    If Trump does get the economic engines firing again, as he promised, I think the resulting prosperity will reduce the current polarization significantly.

34. Parker:

    How would I know? And what does owning and being proficient with firearms have to do with character or morality? Absolutely nothing, IMO. You wish to protect what is yours and dear to you and you choose to prepare for contingencies. Your life and time to spend as you see fit.

    Geoffrey is a bit overwrought, at times. The thought retreating to the swamps and fighting it out, down there with the gators maybe makes you that way? After all we are in a civil war don’t you know.

35. Here is the like to the Portland OR police and protestors video. Not the kind of street justice that was anticipated by the unidentified fools dressed in black. BTW Portland OR is pretty far left.

    https://bluelivesmatter.blue/portland-rioters-police-wednesday/

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